Lowenhart

Since the lottobreakers site is no longer online, you can't download this program from anywhere on the web except... HERE 1.8MB I have uploaded a copy I downloaded, but I do recommend running a virus scanner on anything you download. This is the exact same file that was available from the lottobreakers site. Updated the link.

What this article fails to point out is that very little genetic material is actually carried by the Y chromosome - it's mostly to do with creating the male phenotype. The vast majority (huge majority) of sex-linked genes have nothing to do with the Y chromosome and are part of the X chromosome which fathers can't give their sons. So father-son analysis of the Y chromosomes will not give you much details at all. You need to look at other chromosomes that are passed for proper analysis of diversity - the Y chromosome is not under the same selective pressures as the X and the rest of the genome.

There is nothing that will coat the dog up quickly. Just good diet and keeping them clean. I found things like nutrigel used to keep coat loss to a minimum in a bitch that blew coat every season. But never anything that brought it back. I've seen near naked Tibbies strut out in minor/puppy class so I'm thinking this is par for the course unfortunately.

@ Tralee Sway does an awesome job providing a free service to Australian breeders. It's up to them to stipulate the terms of the service. If you want an international list of prefixes (even of just your breed), why not do it yourself? If you think it's warranted/needed, why try to make it someone else's bother? Learn some new skills along the way. Sway - Thank you for the excellent work you do.

My dogs are normally don't notice storms but I had another dog staying and I saw she was stressed out by them. I decided on the next storm to put on a "storm party". A bit of music, me being silly laughing and being an idiot and treats for tricks with all the other dogs. It was storming regularly, so we had lots of "storm parties" in the kitchen. She never fully joined in like the rest but seemed a lot happier in herself with the distractions. She was nowhere near as stressed when the storms started up and the other dogs were "yesss storm parteeee" She has since gone back to her owners. I don't like to coo over them in these instances. That seems to just make things worse.

Does anyone know where the image on the front page of Dogwise is from?

I've had bitches have first seasons well after 2 years old. I've also had a bitch spayed whilst possibly (probably) pregnant (had a 'silent' season and was mated). It does cost more, I had it done by a reproduction specialist and the bitch was fine.

If the breed club is not interested in handing down guidelines then it's up to you to lead by example - don't breed to anything not DNA tested. The low penetration means most sick dogs are considered to be a "one-off" and it is difficult to see relationships because all dogs with the gene do not get sick - only a few and at different ages. I don't really know what you are wanting? Your lucky that the DNA test is there, most breeds with rare/unusual illnesses don't have DNA and must muddle through with selecting of stock.

I think that the breed clubs could do well to sit down with a geneticist and come up with strategies to maintain the breed and begin reducing the prevalence of the RD allele. Edited once I found the link here - http://www.dogenes.com/ I'm not qualified draw up the rules but I would personally recommend - Test EVERYTHING. Find out the % of dogs with the mutation. Restrict breeding where both parent dogs have the mutation UNLESS the mutation is widespread. If the mutation is in > 50% of the population, stipulate the restriction on breeding of dogs who are homozygous for the mutation (have 2 copies) and recommend that clear puppies are selected from the litter where possible. (We want to keep as many dogs in the breeding pool as possible, so keep the heterozygous in to try for clear offspring) Puppies will need to be DNA tested. Those with the mutation should be sold with full disclosure and a list of possible symptoms for the new owners. Restricted breedings can be done with approval, but aren't recommended (you'd need a good reason for doing so). Just my 2 cents (having studied a little genetics at uni).

I love seeing mature show dogs strut their stuff, Grand or not. However I don't think it's conducive to good breed entries if a BIS winning Grand Ch is out for every show, every weekend. Yes show your Grand titled dogs under the breed specialists, the internationals and at the major shows. It makes those shows "special". But I can't see the benefit to showing that dog at 3-4 shows a weekend every weekend ad infinitum. You notice breed numbers dive when a dog is being heavily campaigned like that, I've even see exhibitors switch breeds to get away from it! If you have limited shows in your area, I can see the value in showing the dog at them all. But if you have a multitude like in NSW, you have the luxury of picking and choosing.

Be careful. Just because your dog is small, doesn't stop it from wanting to eat itself into blimpland. Lowchen will eat all the time. They range in weight from 5-8kg, so not a huge dog but they can eat like nobodies business. If I fed them when they acted like they were staving they'd be 15kg. 2 smaller meals a day is OK if it suits your lifestyle. Keep an eye on the weight, small bodies don't need extra padding.

So the person is breeding a litter under your prefix? I would only go into it if I had a good working relationship with the person. I have bred/whelped/raised a litter under someone else's prefix, unfortunately we got just 1 pup. As I bore all the costs (stud, ceaser etc), I got to keep the pup. I had homes lined up for any extra pups (which didn't appear) and was willing to split the sale price. I trusted the owner of the prefix and had very open and fair dealings beforehand. I also had a written agreement

The pimples make it sound more and more like puppy strangles.

As far as I am aware, there is no one breeding Coton De Tulear's in Australia. A couple may have come as pets with their owners, but they are not a recognised breed here and so there are no ANKC registered breeders with Coton's. You may have to settle for a Havanese, or one of the other beautiful Bichon type breeds (Bichon Frise, Maltese & Lowchen). :D

Um no. You put forward that the majority of the population in Australia was already falling in the carrier/affected status. (This was disputed) So taking it from your perspective that there are already so many of them, bringing in a carrier dog from overseas does not expand the gene through the population. It does not lessen it, but it does not increase it either. The mutation is multidrug sensitivity which is managable. It does not cause pain or discomfort and it does not affect quality of life other than they can not have ivermectin or loperamide. Not ideal but managable. Carrier dogs bred to carrier dogs can produce clear offspring. Careful selection of the offspring for breed type, temperament, overall health and DNA status can bring about clear status dogs that are typey, healthy and not excessively interrelated.

Given the alleged amount of carrier in the breed, the worst course of action is to desex all carriers and sell them as pets. Yes you very quickly get rid of the gene, and most of the gene pool and end up with something far far worse. How? Well you have another gene that is very rare in the genepool now, which almost never meets up to give you an affected dog. Cut the gene pool down by getting rid of known carriers for the first gene and suddenly the % of dogs with gene 2 in the breeding program goes up (1 out of every 500 becomes 1 out of every 10) and it has a higher chance of meeting up and getting an affected dog. Suddenly the gene pool is hit by problems associated with gene 2. If the disease is "mild", manageable so that suffering is rare, then the best course of action is to use otherwise healthy, happy carriers in the breeding program and try to find the clear offspring (yes 2 carriers can have clear offspring).

So that means that if you only use the 2 clear males, you will have a genetic bottleneck in this country (and it's unlikely that all litters in the next 5 years will be out of these 3 clear dogs) unless you use carriers to carriers. Edited to add - You want to avoid having everyone using the same 2 males, as you can end up with a different genetic disease you are not yet aware of spreading completely through the Australian gene pool.

Unfortunately OSO there is 1 clear bitch in the country. And how many clear dogs? If the options are to breed carrier to carrier, why not use an imported carrier?

Yes I'd use a DNA confirmed carrier in breeding if it was a quality animal with a good pedigree. Unfortunately my breed has no DNA testing but I have chosen to incorporate a line that is decended from an affected dog of a recessive disease. The quality of the animals, the temperament, the other health aspects are top notch. The line has a high rate of health testing and I'd rather have that then a supposedly clear dog who hasn't had generations of testing of siblings etc.

There are plenty of breeds that are supposed to have erect tails and do so when walking around/being active. Standing like a statue 5 minutes can make even the most alert dog drop it's tail. Some hold tails to mimic how the dog looks like when "on point", or when they have found quarry. It looks more sporting. Other times it's a control issue, holding a tail means you can keep the dogs weight evenly distributed or push the weight onto their fronts. It's the norm in a lot of breeds to give a typical outline.

The photographer owns the rights to all images they take.

I have arrangements to handle dogs exclusively for people. My fee is - whatever the prize/trophy is. Professional handlers are very few and far between.

As a temporary measure you could use shade cloth. Yes it will block out some of the breeze but will take a lot more of a battering than the fly screen.

I find wild type dogs (pariah etc) show timid body language. I've had some Afghans that have strong flight responses from a very young age. These dogs were very aware of their surrounds and reactive to movement. Some turned out to be quite the hunter that their gregarious siblings were not. Maybe the reason that sighthounds are so turned on to the chase is that they have retain that certain element of a wild dog type that makes them very aware of the goings on. A sighthound worth it's feed isn't going to want to fuss over a silly human when there is game afoot. There are huge variations between sighthound breeds and within the breeds however I describe them as being not-human focused. They have been bred to chase and that is their first focus.